scholarly journals Caste-Based Inequality in Fruit and Vegetables Consumption in India

2021 ◽  
pp. 037957212110268
Author(s):  
Samira Choudhury ◽  
Bhavani Shankar ◽  
Lukasz Aleksandrowicz ◽  
Mehroosh Tak ◽  
Alan Dangour

Objective: Fruit and vegetable (F&V) consumption is of central importance to many diet-related health outcomes. In India, caste is a major basis of socioeconomic inequality. Recent analysis shows that more disadvantaged “lower” castes consume less F&V than the rest. This article explores whether this consumption gap arises due to differential distribution of drivers of consumption such as income and education across castes, or whether behavioral differences or discrimination may be at play. Design: The Oaxaca-Blinder regression decomposition is applied to explain the gap in F&V consumption between “upper” castes and “lower” castes, using data from the 68th (2011-2012) round of the National Sample Survey Organization household survey. Results: Differences in the distribution of F&V drivers account for all of the 50 grams/person/day consumption gap between upper and lower castes. In particular, much of the gap is explained by income differential across castes. Conclusions: In the long run, India’s positive discrimination policies in education and employment that seek to equalize income across castes are also likely to help close the F&V consumption gap, leading to health benefits. In the medium run, interventions acting to boost lower caste income, such as cash transfers targeting lower castes, may be effective.

Econometrics ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 26
Author(s):  
Francis Bilson Darku ◽  
Frank Konietschke ◽  
Bhargab Chattopadhyay

The Gini index, a widely used economic inequality measure, is computed using data whose designs involve clustering and stratification, generally known as complex household surveys. Under complex household survey, we develop two novel procedures for estimating Gini index with a pre-specified error bound and confidence level. The two proposed approaches are based on the concept of sequential analysis which is known to be economical in the sense of obtaining an optimal cluster size which reduces project cost (that is total sampling cost) thereby achieving the pre-specified error bound and the confidence level under reasonable assumptions. Some large sample properties of the proposed procedures are examined without assuming any specific distribution. Empirical illustrations of both procedures are provided using the consumption expenditure data obtained by National Sample Survey (NSS) Organization in India.


2021 ◽  
Vol 20 (05) ◽  
pp. A08
Author(s):  
Jagadish Thaker ◽  
Brian Floyd

Scientists highlight that actions that address environmental protection and climate change can also help with reducing infectious disease threats. Results using data from a national sample survey in New Zealand indicate that perceptions of co-benefits of actions to address environmental protection that also protect against infectious disease outbreaks such as the coronavirus is associated with policy support and political engagement. This association was partly mediated through perceived collective efficacy. Local councils with higher level of community collective efficacy were more likely to declare climate emergency. Communication about potential co-benefits is likely to shape public engagement and enact policy change.


2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eike Mark Rinke ◽  
Patricia Moy

While it is a truism that political voice is a cornerstone of democratic theory, less theorizing has focused on its counterpart, political listening. Drawing upon research related to listening practices, this study operationalizes for empirical study Dobson’s (2014) normative concepts of apophatic listening, which is dialogic and facilitates discussion across lines of difference, and cataphatic listening, which is monologic and disruptive in nature. Using data from a national sample survey of Latinos fielded shortly after the 2016 U.S. presidential election (N = 720), we provide an empirical test of these listening practices’ democratic value by examining how relational and analytical listening (dimensions of apophatic practices) and task-oriented and critical listening (dimensions of cataphatic practices) are associated with various political outcomes, including political interest, knowledge, trust, and participation. Findings indicate that, from a normative point of view, task-oriented listening was unrelated or negatively related to political outcomes while relational listening had ambivalent relations. However, the two cognitive-epistemic dimensions of both types of listening – analytical listening and critical (error-seeking) listening – were both strongly and positively related to most studied political outcomes. These findings offer nuanced evidence that apophatic and cataphatic listening might not necessarily be at odds with each other where democratically desirable outcomes are concerned.


2017 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 89-108 ◽  
Author(s):  
Arjun Kumar

The 2030 agenda on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) highlights the importance of sanitation and sets the Goal #6: ‘Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all’. While rural households in India have witnessed a marginal improvement in access to toilet facility in recent decades, they continue to face high levels of deprivation along with spatial and socio-economic disparities and exclusions, which have been highlighted in this article using data from Census of India, National Sample Surveys and Baseline Survey. Determinants of households having access to latrine facility in the house have been estimated using an econometric exercise and contribution of caste-based factors of the gap in access among various social groups have been estimated using decomposition technique on household-level information from National Sample Survey data. Households located in backward regions and belonging to the weaker sections of society, such as poor, wage labourers, Scheduled Tribes and Scheduled Castes, have been found to be the most deprived and excluded. Thus, there is an urgent need to pace up the developmental efforts for rural sanitation to achieve the SDGs, along with complementary measures to focus on backward regions, weaker sections and socio-spatial position of households in rural India.


2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 19-44
Author(s):  
Chandan Jain

In the present article, we highlight the role that schools play in the Indian labour market. Using data from two rounds of the National Sample Survey, we provide estimates for the number of individuals employed in schools and the share of schools in the overall labour force in the country. We find that the share of schools in the overall labour force has increased between 2004–2005 and 2011–2012. Further, we also analyse the differences in these estimates across regions and gender as well. We find that despite the decline in female labour force in rural areas, number of females employed in schools in rural areas has increased over time. Additionally, we find that schools constituted the largest share in the overall female labour force employed in the services sector in the country. JEL: I20, J21


2017 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 59-81 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rudrani Bhattacharya ◽  
Abhijit Sen Gupta

Average food inflation in India during the period 2006–2013 was one of the highest among emerging market economies and nearly double the inflation witnessed in India during the previous decade. An often-cited hypothesis argues that the surge in food inflation during this period was driven by rising demand for high-value food products due to higher per capita income and diversification of Indian diets. In this article, we test the validity of this hypothesis by estimating the expenditure elasticity and then calculating the aggregate demand using data from household survey conducted by the National Sample Survey Organisation (NSSO). Our results show that in recent years, estimated demand has exceeded supply of all major food products, barring fruits. Moreover, empirical estimates indicate that the demand–supply gap is an important driver of rise in food prices, along with other factors such as minimum support prices, global prices, fiscal deficit and agricultural wages. JEL Classification: E31, E37, Q11


2015 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 14-21 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gopal Agrawal

Purpose – Since inception, National Sample Survey (NSS) is the only large-scale household survey in India, periodically collecting data on morbidity and health care conditions in the country. In these surveys, information for all members of sample households was gathered either from head or a key informant of the household. This paper aims to discuss these issues. Design/methodology/approach – This study was developed to examine whether the use of proxy respondents influences population estimates of morbidity prevalence rates and factors associated with morbidity prevalence rates among adults based on latest 60th round NSS data on morbidity and health care. Findings – The results showed that use of proxy in this survey had severely affected morbidity prevalence rates among adult persons aged 18 years and above. The result showed that use of proxy in the NSS 60th round survey had resulted in underestimation of morbidity prevalence rates among adults in such a way that overall morbidity prevalence rate was 45 per cent higher in direct interviews (148 per 1,000 adult persons) compared to those answered by proxies (81, p<0.001). There were variations in underreporting of morbidities by socio-economic and demographic characteristics of proxies but the direction of the association was the same. Research limitations/implications – The study conclude that morbidity data from the NSS can be used regardless of use of proxies and that the association between worse health condition and socio-economic and demographic factors persisted even when information was collected from a proxy. However, suitable adjustments for proxy-reporting should be made while estimating realistic population at risk from the NSS data. Originality/value – This is the first manuscript that has made an attempt to examine the effect of proxy-reporting on morbidity prevalence in NSS data. Since its inception in 1955, NSS data are the only data source available in India on morbidity and health care conditions. A large number of research manuscripts have been published using this data and there were serious concerns among the researchers on data quality particularly about the reporting of health status. NSS 60th round first time provided information on reporting status, i.e. proxy vs self. In this context, the present study made an effort in this direction.


2012 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 274-307 ◽  
Author(s):  
Viktoria Hnatkovska ◽  
Amartya Lahiri ◽  
Sourabh Paul

We examine the relative fortunes of the historically disadvantaged scheduled castes and tribes (SC/ST) in India in terms of their education attainment, occupation choices, consumption and wages. We study the period 1983–2005 using household survey data from successive rounds of the National Sample Survey. We find that this period has been characterized by a significant convergence of education, occupation distribution, wages and consumption levels of SC/STs toward non-SC/ST levels. Using various decomposition approaches we find that the improvements in education account for a major part of the wage and consumption convergence. (JEL I24, O15, O17, Z13)


2018 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 20-36 ◽  
Author(s):  
Abha Gupta ◽  
Deepak K. Mishra

The public distribution system (PDS) in Uttar Pradesh (UP), India’s most populous state, was widely recognized as dysfunctional. However, following the introduction of reforms in recent times, analysts have put this state in the category of “reviving” states. Against this backdrop, this article presents recent evidence of improved accessibility, utilization and impact of PDS in UP using data from the 68th Round of the National Sample Survey Office (NSSO) Consumer Expenditure Survey (CES) and primary data collected from six villages of western UP. The main findings show that the accessibility to PDS rationing is higher among lower socioeconomic groups and regions, which also have a higher share of PDS commodities in their food consumption and calorie intake in comparison to the non-poor categories. PDS has also made a positive and significant contribution towards ensuring food security among poor families. However, entitlements for the non-poor have been gradually phased out as the majority of them do not purchase food items and consider their entitlement for “kerosene only.” With high levels of corruption and lower income margins, ration dealers siphon off a part of the PDS quota for sale in the open market or charge higher prices to cover their losses.


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